The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-10-13
THE CRIMSON SCARF.
New York Times.
GLOW old did you say" asked the
Communicated chief.

cOIIllldllu0I-
nineteen"
"And the MANI"
ga little older"
The commander-in in chief pulled his
cigar at thoughtful intervals. The
war was by twenty-five years thing
of the past, but as head OF great
commercial enterprise q military title
still chung to him from out OF his war
experience, and he did not dislike it,
for some OF his war memories appear
ed to be his most cherished mental
treasures. So he debated with his CT
gar over the two young people whose
sentimental rashness had brought
them into public notice, and as he de-
bated he was looking backward over
the diverse panorama of two decades
of life, through the rifted smoke clouds
OF great rebellion at little drama
that seemed almost dream, but
which to him was, perhaps, tn e best
remembered incident OF all the five
years fight. And when he told it,
half musingly, tie listeners did not
wonder. The ways OF fate are very
diverse, and it sometimes iia opens to
the least imaginative in the madden
ing crowd that a face which is looked
into only for a moment is never for
gotten in all the length of the years
that follow. Perhaps it is so with the
communicating chief. Perhaps not. In
any event nobody dared to ask.
ain the fall OF 1863" he began, II
was stationed with detachment at
Paint Rock. Ala. We were
drawing on the enemy for supplies;
fOraging, in fact. Our crackers
and hard task we got from Stevenson,
but for fodder for our horses, and
anything to add sumptuous to the
appearance OF the frying-pan we had
to depend on the country. For some
weeks | had sent out the wagon train
to the east and southeast, and down
the valley OF the Paint Rock creek.
The only direction lett for lnvestiga-
ton was the west, where, at distance
of 21 miles, was Huntsville, then the
capital OF northern Alabama, which,
up to the time of the war, had been a
wealthy. aristocratic and fashionable
city. Well, one pleasant morning l
sent the wagons across the creek and
followed them with a guard of twenty
men. 1t was reported from time to
time that the country ahead OF us
was full of rebel guerrillas, but we saw
no signs of them, and for two months
had no trouble whatever with any
foe.
CATER crossing the creek the wagons
took road which wound along the
foot OF q spur at the Blue Ridge mount
aims, which rose green, heavily wood
ed, and picturesque at our backs. We
passed several small clearings and
plantations, whose log houses were
| filled with hot blooded and hot-tem-
pered Southern women, whose evident
desire to fay us with their fingernails
rather interfered with that spirit OF
hospitality for which the South is
| famous. At distance OF seven miles
| l halted the detachment at q cool,
but sinister-looking place in the road,
known to all the country round about
as the Gap
"'The Gap was the entrance to a
pass through one OF the outlying
mountain spurs. 1t was deep hol-
low, heavily wooded. The dense
growth of towering pines and frs
grew close to the roadside. The
woody spaces were so filled with I'M
dergrowth and blocked by fallen trees
that as you peered into the dark re-
cesses of the forest on either side a
hostile army might have been shelter
ed there with out your being able to
perceive button. | remember the
looks OF the place because the first
time | saw it it made me rather un-
easy, and the last time but one that
saw it came near staying three fol-
good, as did, in fact, some other poor
fellows who were not'so fortunate.
"Well, after a rest, we kept on, and
few miles further we came to a plan.
tation of $50 acres, with q large and
comfortable looking residence near
the roadside. The wagons had
reached there long before us. They
were being rapidly filled from row Of
well stored corncribs at the back Of
the house. l had just gotten off my
horse near the door when two girls
came toward me-and if were not
telling this story, gentlemen, I would
honestly declare that they were the
two prettiest girls l ever saw in my
life.
"They were both tall and slender
with graceful and womanly figures
They were dressed in dark blue calico
and had no artificial aids to their
fresh beauty. Their faces were intelli
gent and full of resolution, yet mark
ed by that shyness which belongs to
girls who are well born and bred in
comparative seclusion. The elder. Ell
len, was dark-eyed and dark-haired
Addie Was IT, two years younger than
her sister, and q yellow-haired ano
blue-eyed blonde. The apparitior
they presented astonished us.
think all the men took off their hats
instinctively. l know did. And as
my hat was a real Mexican sombrero
and matched the long Mexican spurs
that jingled on my heels, 1 was rather
fond of keeping it on my head.
at was Ellen who spoke, the Other
staying little behind. Sir, she sale
in q troubled voice, you look like 6
gentleman. One OF your men has
taken our guitar. 1t is all that W.
have left, and it is great consolation
Will you not be good enough to have
it returned?"
1.-The guitar was returned to hel
forthwith as quickly as the the mar
could be found who had it
She was profuse in her thanks, and thu
light in the younger sisters eyes a.
the salvation OF the instrument indi
Gated how highly it was valued. TIL,
corn and supplies they did not appear
to grieve over particularly, as | pre-
vented any destruction OF the cribs OF
any unnecessary damage to the prop
erty. Consequently was very hos
pitably received in the house
The family consisted OF an ole
gentleman named Sunderland, his
wife and three daughters. Sunderland
was q well-to-do planter, though moi
too old to take arms. He was doc
tor by. profession and a Methodist
preacher by choice. His family circle
was in its refinement and the beauty
the girls, something. particularly
-1lJ:o,, ho Cow cow.